Mandela Day Poetry Slam Rules

Theme: “It Is In Your Hands”
Saturday July 18 | Washington Gladden Social Justice Park | 3:00 PM

The Mandela Day Poetry Slam is a community-centered event that celebrates the power of words to inspire justice, courage, and collective action. The theme for this year’s United Nations Nelson Mandela International Day —“It Is In Your Hands”—calls on each poet to explore responsibility, freedom, and hope in their own voice.

Audience: Admission is free to the public. Registration is required for Poets.

Eligibility:

  • Open to anyone 18 years or older.

  • All poems must be original work by the performer.

Performance Guidelines:

  • No music, costumes, or props.

  • Poets may read from a device or paper if desired.

  • Round 1 poems may be up to 3 minutes and 30 seconds long.

  • Subsequent rounds may be up to 4 minutes.

  • A 10-second grace period is allowed; after that, 1 point will be deducted for going over time.

  • Timing begins with the first word, sound, or movement indicating the poem has started.

Theme Requirement:

  • The first-round poem must clearly relate to the event’s theme, “It Is In Your Hands, Social Justice and Equity” to be eligible to advance to later rounds.

Competition Format:

  • The slam will include 3 rounds with elimination after each round.

  • Poets will draw numbers to determine order in Round 1.

  • In subsequent rounds, the poet with the highest previous score will go first; the round will close with the poet holding the lowest score

  • Scores are cumulative, and the highest-scoring poets will advance each round

Scoring:

  • Judges will score each poem based on:

    • Content (including relevance to the theme)

    • Delivery

    • Connection to the audience and overall impact

Prizes:

  • 1st Place: $200

  • 2nd Place: $150

  • 3rd Place: $100

  • Poets must be registered by July 16th to participate

STAY TUNED FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

Judges

Dr. Jamar "Marmi" Turner is a poet, public artist, muralist, chaplain, and cultural organizer based in Columbus, Ohio. Known artistically as Marmi the Griot, his work explores the intersections of poetry, spiritual care, Black storytelling, and community healing.


He is the founder of Poetry Caviar Productions and the Critical Artist Laboratory, initiatives that use creativity to foster dialogue, wellness, and cultural transformation. Turner is the creator of Men Do Poetry Too, a poetry movement dedicated to vulnerability, creativity, and authentic self-expression among men, and curator of the Critical Artist Showcase, a multidisciplinary platform highlighting artists whose work engages identity, justice, and healing.


As a Board Certified Chaplain at The James Cancer Hospital, Turner has helped develop ArtCare practices that bring poetry and creative expression into healthcare settings. He is the author of the forthcoming poetry collection Confessions from a Burning House and creator of the developing choreopoem The Making of Wild Men.


He often describes himself simply as “a minister of words and pictures.”